This invention relates to the field of electric powered land vehicles of relatively small size for personal use both indoors and outdoors, and for carrying on a boat, motor home or the like as an auxiliary vehicle after docking at a pier or parking at a camp site.
Previous land vehicles of this type have included two wheeled motor bikes and so-called "mopeds", powered by internal combustion motors. Two wheel vehicles have the disadvantage of being less stable than a four wheeled vehicle, making it difficult to use for going to a store from dockside or a campsite and returning with several sacks of groceries and provisions. Internal combustion motors also require highly flammable fuel which adds to the danger of fire and explosion when carried as an auxiliary vehicle aboard a boat or a motor home.
Personal size electric powered wheel chairs are also known. However, they are essentially nothing more than a wheel chair of the hospital type for use by patients or invalids to which an electric motor has been connected. They are intended for use primarily indoors, or only on paved surfaces such as sidewalks when used outdoors. They are not intended for overland travel, nor for travel on a roadway, nor are they suitable for such purpose. Among other things, the front wheels of such wheel chair type conveyances are much smaller in diameter than the rear wheels. Also, when electric motors are mounted on a hospital type or invalid type of wheel chair, the use of a direct drive mechanism such as a chain or belt drive has to be avoided or complicated uncoupling mechanism is required, so the electric motor may be disengaged from the wheels to enable turning by hand when desired or necessary. Moving the wheel chair up or down over curbs is an example of when turning the wheels by hand may be necessary.